Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

Author Topic: Drawbacks to lower population?  (Read 569 times)

Graven

  • Bay Watcher
  • Don't we all just love contact juggling?
    • View Profile
Drawbacks to lower population?
« on: June 30, 2009, 01:56:42 am »
Ok, first of all, sorry if this topic has been done before, I couldn't find anything.

So, I'm using Mayday's tileset, which resently switched to 40d11, and has had a very good effect on my fps (I'm running a 6x6 site with 156 dwarves, and it's basically running the same as a 3x3 100 dwarf fortress at 40d10). It's still something about 15 fps, though, and I want to reduce the population cap.

Now, I read that sieges start at 80 dwarves, and higher population has no effect on that, but if I do set my popcap to 80, what else will be affected?
Logged
What a strange and beautiful world I beheld, but dangerous too, I was certain. And I was friendless and homeless. And so I prayed.
"Hear me, exalted spirits. Hear me be you gods or devils, ye who hold dominion here. I am a wizard without a home. I am a wanderer seeking refuge."

Albedo

  • Bay Watcher
  • Menacing with spikes of curmudgeonite.
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2009, 02:04:28 am »
Absoultely nothing.

Because if you set your popcap to 80, you'll probably end up with about 100-110 dwarves after migrants, nobles and babies.  Read the wiki on "init.txt".

Logged

kalida99

  • Bay Watcher
  • ಠ_ರೃ
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2009, 02:07:20 am »
Nothing will really be affected, you just won't be able to get nobles that require higher population, (unless you already have them). And work might be slower, or faster depending on the FPS gain
Logged
Let's see how those degenerate sophisticates handle a healthy dose of pure unreasoning violence.
— Commander Fleyitch

Graven

  • Bay Watcher
  • Don't we all just love contact juggling?
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2009, 02:11:18 am »
Aha. I read up on init.txt, and I gather that setting the cap to about 60 will get me the desired results? (that being higher fps and lower amount of cheesemakers). And I really don't care about the nobles, so that doesn't bother me at all :)
Logged
What a strange and beautiful world I beheld, but dangerous too, I was certain. And I was friendless and homeless. And so I prayed.
"Hear me, exalted spirits. Hear me be you gods or devils, ye who hold dominion here. I am a wizard without a home. I am a wanderer seeking refuge."

Gergination

  • Bay Watcher
  • The world is on fire
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2009, 02:27:25 am »
It seems like regardless of what your pop cap is set at dwarves will occasionally pop a baby out.  My cap is 200 and I have 236 dwarves.  It held steady at like 202 for quite a while and then I started getting maybe 2-3 babies a year and it hasn't stopped.
Logged
Quote from: LeoLeonardoIII on October 30, 2009, 06:11:36 pm
With [SLOW_LEARNER], dwarves probably don't sit around and talk anymore. They just stand in the same corner altogether, staring at each other, sticking their bearded lips out trying to make sounds. And giggling when someone actually says a whole word.

Graven

  • Bay Watcher
  • Don't we all just love contact juggling?
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2009, 02:32:15 am »
Hmm, I guess I'll just mess with it for a while. Next fortress, though, I kinda like the mess in this one, despite the ghastly framerate. Plus, roaming herds of skeletal horses are interesting.

Thanks for the replies everyone :)
Logged
What a strange and beautiful world I beheld, but dangerous too, I was certain. And I was friendless and homeless. And so I prayed.
"Hear me, exalted spirits. Hear me be you gods or devils, ye who hold dominion here. I am a wizard without a home. I am a wanderer seeking refuge."

Gergination

  • Bay Watcher
  • The world is on fire
    • View Profile
Re: Drawbacks to lower population?
« Reply #6 on: June 30, 2009, 02:40:24 am »
Personally I don't mind having the framerate that I do (around 10 when things are busy) because I read a book or surf the internet while it runs.  If you want a good framerate and enough workers to get things done in reasonable amount of time you're going to have to fiddle around with the numbers and see what works for you and your computer.
Logged
Quote from: LeoLeonardoIII on October 30, 2009, 06:11:36 pm
With [SLOW_LEARNER], dwarves probably don't sit around and talk anymore. They just stand in the same corner altogether, staring at each other, sticking their bearded lips out trying to make sounds. And giggling when someone actually says a whole word.